Acoustique guitar Review-Introduction a on the name and Caractéristiques

Here in Acoustique review our instruments not only want to show you music: the is the best possible for us. We also want you to take a deeper interest in the Hague merveilleuse. Why don't understand a little on where to instrument term from, and some features two bases for Ireland's two main types-classic Guitare Guitare And sore Chaîne.

'' Instruments of music '' is a retronym. You can do is what that means, he said. But before named Acoustique Guitare, were just called "Guitare." After electric arrivée de Guitare, they went ahead and added '' Acoustique '' have power to différencier de la. Each time a new event happened to you products were released, and the name of former true for more, we have a retronym. We have seen this with world war, Havana in 2 world war, referred to, among other things, like '' Grande war. " He was change then for world war of the land before World War II.

There are different types of Guitare Acoustique. God of knowledge, is with the classic instruments of music do-Chaîne.

Some basic characteristics of the classic instruments of music;

Notable are this string, even on corded, such as repeat string (g-b-and), you first, 2, and third chaîne are nylon And the 3 others are bass string make two nylon, but injuries and metallized métal.String they tensed considérablement less than on sore Guitars. Because Chaîne de faible the tension when can all wood who were with not need a rod in truss like Guitars. There do-Chaîne are different kind of formes, and material was used to classical différencier different kind of guitare.

Some basic caractéristiques de la guitar do-Chaîne,

This is a new form of guitar of two classic Guitar. The who had string and they made two. That allow for a sound more And more.String more these are considérablement tensioned And that requires instrument have a rod truss plates of brass.Like classic instrument, there are different types of formes, and material was used to achieve different Cough And timbres.

Don't have to more to say about guitare things they are to do that file a book. We are going to definitely être validation more about the issue of Acoustique Guitare, you have done all ran away and a place dedicated to. So be sure to check back soon.

5 New School Rappers Tupac Would of Liked

It's going on sixteen years since the passing of the most influential Hip-Hop artist of all-time, and there seems to be an renewed interest in the icon from the new generation of music lovers.

Tupac's T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. movement which stands for "The Hate U Gave Little Infants Everyone" has been embraced by pop princess Rihanna, poet Nikki Giovanni and millions of people worldwide.

Tupac was known for creating politically conscious songs that touched the minds and souls of listeners; and with every song you could feel his uncensored emotions. Even though he didn't have the lyrical complexity of his counterparts like Nas and Biggie, his passion and ability to speak to the masses was unmatched.

Since the passing of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G., I have heard so many times how if they were alive a lot of the new school rappers who are now in the spotlight would not exist.

See I come from an era where if you had a record deal, you could actually rap and you had more than just a "cool swag." Anyway, time changes and I have always been the type to embrace the movement of sound. However, I wanted to share with you 5 New School Rappers that I believe Tupac would have definitely appreciated.

1. Kendrick Lamar - With only a few mixtapes to his name; the Compton bred MC was crowned as the new king of West Coast Hip-Hop by The Game, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Kendrick is arguably the most lyrical MC that I have heard since Nas. In the song "Hiii Power" he raps: "who said a black man in the Illuminati? Last time I checked that was the biggest racist party - So get up off that slave ship Build your own pyramids, write your own hieroglyphs." With a socially conscious message and a new age west coast street appeal, I would love to hear Kendrick put a verse on Tupac's next album. I'm almost sure Interscope records has another posthumous release waiting on us.

2. Big K.R.I.T. - Hailing from backwood Mississippi, Big Krit's Returnof4eva, was probably the most complete mixtape since Drake's So Far So Gone. Big K.R.I.T. is a complete MC who draws his influence from the 90's style southern Hip-Hop that included the likes of UGK, 8 Ball and MJG, and Scarface. A southern street poet that raps about the everyday struggle of a average rapper trying to carve his space out in the world, Big K.R.I.T. is the truth.

3. Nipsey Hussle - If you were to take the swag of Snoop Dogg, the dope boy image of Jay-Z, and the social consciousness of Tupac; you would have the South Central raised MC Nipsey Hussle. For the past 6 months I have been blasting Nipsey's latest mixtapes 'The Marathon' and 'The Marathon Continues." In his song 'Who Detached Us' he raps "We used to be respected, now they laughing -We've turned into possessions with no passion - How we go from the best to less then average We used to be connected, who detached us."

4. J Cole - Even though Tupac wasn't the biggest fan of Jay-Z, he would have definitely loved the heartfelt lyrics and honesty of his protegé J.Cole. Cole World reminds me of what Jay-Z would have been if he would have went to college and never messed with the "rock." With the ability to create a raw Hip-Hop track without coming off as too preachy, J.Cole is destined for greatness. The St. John University graduate draws more of his style from artist like Tupac and Nas versus his boss Sean Corey Carter.

5. Drake- Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Drake has a way with his pen and he still manages to throw in a message or two depending on who he's on a track with. Listen to the Comeback Season and you will see that Drake is actually a lot more ' Native Tounges' than 'Young Money'. What Tupac would have loved about Drake is his honesty and the fact that he never downplayed the fact that he came from a well to do background in Toronto, Canada.

Review of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Here" (2012)

Alex Ebert's latest album from his psychedelic magical mystery band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes continues the mythology of a messianic front-man on a mission to free people's minds from hate. The music can be best described in simplest terms as Pink Floyd meets Bob Dylan. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes' first album "Up From Below" (released in 2009) is an infectiously catchy take on modern folk music, and their second offering "Here" is-well, of course-here. It brings the same big band folk vibe from the first album and has a much cleaner sound, whereas "Up From Below" had more ambient sounds and banter from the band in the background. There are less exciting get-up-and-dance songs and a lack of heavily layered soundscapes compared to the first album, but there is variety in songwriting and genre-bending on "Here."

Track Listing

1. "Man on Fire"
2. "That's What's Up"
3. "I Don't Wanna Pray"
4. "Mayla"
5. "Dear Believer"
6. "Child"
7. "One Love to Another"
8. "Fiya Wata"
9. "All Wash Out"

The first thing I think of when Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes comes to mind is David Bowie. First of all, Alex Ebert's style of singing matches David Bowie's intensity at times, and also the phrase Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes sounds an awful lot like Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Both Edward Sharpe and Ziggy Stardust are fictitious figureheads of a generation of music. "Here" is not a concept album like "Ziggy Stardust", but I would enjoy seeing some sort of conceptual musical narrative from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, like a contemporary "Tommy" (The Who pioneered rock operas such as "Tommy"). Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes already released a music video of their previous single "40 Day Dream" that gives a hint of the purpose behind the persona of Edward Sharpe, but nothing to blow your mind over.

"Here" opens on a strong number with "Man On Fire" that starts of very soft with just lyrics and acoustic guitar, but ends on a ragtime jam with percussion, an upright piano melody and a choir of backing vocals. I probably should have mentioned this earlier: there are a lot of people in the Magnetic Zeroes, not including Alex it counts to nine core musicians with another six additional musicians to add even more instruments to the mix. To say this music is ambitious is an understatement. It certainly breaks away from the traditional folk music mold, and anything that explores new directions in aging genres is a welcome innovation.

Many of the songs on "Here" are pseudo-religious in nature in both music and words. Songs like "That's What's Up" and "I Don't Want To Pray" have a gospel rhythm, the later song especially tackling conventional religious views head on. "That's What's Up" praises the virtue's of love towards your fellow man, and "I Don't Want To Pray" is an outright rejection of religious authority. The lyrics invoke natural imagery and the inherent freedom of nature. It makes sense to imagine that if you are one with nature, that would making praising God unnecessary because your oneness with creation makes praying obsolete. It's safe to say that "Here" is not your grandfather's folk record. These religious themes also tie in with the Edward Sharpe mystery of being a chosen one for some divine purpose. It's not explicit but it's implied, which should make for some interesting new material to see how far Alex Ebert can take the story behind Edward Sharpe.

The laid back tunes of many tracks on "Here" make a majority of the songs relaxing to listen to. The rhythm's of "Mayla" and "One Love To Another" invoke some of the heady grooves of Bob Marley. It is hard to put it into words because "Here" is not a reggae album by any stretch of the imagination, but the waves of good vibes are there just like in Marley's classic jams. This album is so laid back, even the backing members of the band receive their own songs to sing, as Jade does in "Fiya Wata", who previously had an entire song on "Up From Below" dedicated to her free-spirited nature.

Although "Here" is a concise album with a solid line up of songs written in various genres, it misses some of the magic that their previous effort contained. There are no emotional roller coasters like "Home", or dynamic textures as heard on "Desert Song", both hit tracks from "Up From Below." The songs are less memorable this time around, so chalk it up to a sophomore slump. It's not a bad recording by any means, which makes me hopeful there are new songs on the way that are going to blow the socks off music listeners everywhere. Overall a good effort, but leaves something to be desired, and if you have an itch for new folk music this album will delightfully scratch it.

***/***** (3 stars out of five)

Pickmaster - Your Solution for a Lifetime Stock of Guitar Picks

Guitarists understand how elusive their guitar picks can be. These small essential bits either end up missing from your drawer or slip inside your guitar while you're playing to entertain. As a result of their disappearance act, your anger levels increase and your pocket's weight decreases. However, thanks to the innovative Pickmaster, you can finally remain happy and richer while playing the guitar.

What is the Pickmaster?

The Pickmaster is a plectrum cutter. It works like a punch machine, but rather than making holes, it creates guitar picks from thin plastic cards such as your old Visa Card or ID card. By default, this plectrum cutter creates picks that are 3 x 2.5 cm "351" in dimension. This means that it is most suitable for guitar that use the common pick shape. However, you are free to create your picks however you like them simply by choosing the plastic you use.

Why Invest in the Pickmaster?

There are numerous reasons which make this device a worthy buy; here are some of the top ones:

- Unlimited Guitar Picks: You won't have to worry about losing your guitar picks because you can always create new ones. Your friends will be asking you to make some for them because they may want to save costs.

- Creative Customized Picks: Customizing picks is usually costly, especially since your precious plectrum will end up lost somewhere. However, you can customize it by choosing patterned sheets of plastic or some with your picture or a loved one's. Your partner will especially love seeing you strum the guitar with a plectrum that has her picture.

- Lifetime Availability: The Pickmaster is a handy tool that is bound to last. Just one look at this chunky metallic gadget is enough for you to assess how durable and robust it is. So, you can rest assured that it is a once in a lifetime investment.

- Easy to Carry: If your band is touring or performing at different places each night, the chances of your plectrum's disappearance are bound to rise. Once lost, your audience won't take kindly to waiting until someone gets you another one. Besides, if you're really good with your guitar, other players will be too jealous to share their picks with you. Thankfully, the Pickmaster is conveniently sized and very portable. This means that you can always create a new pick if one is lost wherever you go.

Shopping For The Right Piano

Remember back when you were a kid you would go to Grandma's house and she had that little upright piano sitting against the wall? Most likely it was a spinet, and we got to bang on the keys and it was probably pretty out of tune.

Well today the selections are a lot better starting with vertical pianos of different sizes going up to the horizontal grand piano. Starting with the vertical types there is the tallest, fifty two inches tall, called a professional upright. Fortunately all vertical pianos measure in width approximately the same within about three inches. So if you have five feet of wall space, you have plenty of room for a vertical piano. The taller pianos are referred to as "professional uprights" because professional piano players demand better sounding instruments. Most piano buyers in the world buy vertical pianos becase of space limitations. Here in the United States we enjoy larger homes, so we can have the larger "grand piano" sizes. The professional uprights also have the same pedal functions you have on a grand piano, where the smaller uprights have limited usage.

If your question is why people prefer the taller pianos, the answer is quite simple. Every piano is equipped with a sounding board, usually made from spruce, and that is what is referred to as the speaker in the piano. So you realize that the more square inches of sound board we have, the bigger the sound will be. The other factor is the string length. Obviously, the taller the piano, the longer the strings. This means that the bass section of the piano gets fatter, and therefore produces a bassier sound. This provides more depth and warmth to the music.

The shorter the piano, the brighter and more tinkely the sound. Some people refer to it as tinny. So if you can afford the taller types of pianos, you'll enjoy the sound much better. The taller the piano, the more raw materials are in it, and the more expensive it becomes.

Now let's move on the other professional uprights. The forty eight inch upright is generally the preferred size used by most piano teachers and their students. When we were in school, most were equipped with what is called a studio piano which stands forty five inches high.

The 3 Best Paul Simon Songs of All Time

Paul Simon is in a class by himself. It's not easy to shift from a successful folk duo to a lasting songwriter career that has reinvented itself at least a couple of times. Simon's breadth of styles and subject matter are as far-ranging as any songwriter I can think of. I was listening to the Paul Simon album "Graceland" and posed myself a tough question: What are the Best Paul Simon Songs of All Time?

Impossible, I thought. But I like a good challenge.

Here's what I came up with:

1. The Boxer

This story of a young man who moves to the city to seek his fortune is a heartbreaker every time I hear it. The melody does what melodies do in the best songs - convey the same emotions that the lyrics do. In this case, the loneliness and hopelessness of the singer's situation are brought home by the rising and falling melody notes. He's tried his best and it isn't enough, but while he may be surrendering like a beaten boxer, and leaving, "the fighter still remains." Some of the most heartwrenching lyrics in American pop music are: "Asking only workman's wages / I come looking for a job / But I get no offers / Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue / I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome / I took some comfort there."

2. Graceland

It's fairly amazing that this song caught on at the time it did. Its African-inspired rhythm and meandering bass and guitar aren't exactly traditional pop. But something about the sweetness of the lyrics connected with listeners, and of course our national fascination with Elvis played a role. I appreciate this song because it uses chord changes you don't expect. And it tells a story of pilgrimage to one of our "holy sites" without being heavy-handed or trying to teach a lesson about the perils of American celebrity (Elvis). It's just sweet, thoughtful, intricate. It's one of a kind.

3. Father and Daughter

OK, I'm biased. I played this song at my daughter's baby naming ceremony. But for my money, there are few songs that express the feeling a parent has for a child without getting maudlin or silly. Every father knows the powerful truth of the lyric, "There will never be a father / loves his daughter more than I love you." Yet the song stays playful with a hopping rhythm and the cascading guitar lines, West African in flavor, that serve as the song's hook. It's a song that never gets old.

Whether you agree with my list of the best Paul Simon songs or not, there's no disputing he's in a genre of his own, and still making great music.

Interested in Learning the Bagpipes? A Must Read Guide

If you are interested in learning to play the Bagpipes, there are many things you should know first. Learning the bagpipes requires a good quality practice chanter, a tutor book, and formal lessons with an instructor.

Practice Chanter

A practice chanter is its own instrument which is used to learn fingering for the bagpipe chanter. It will continue to be used after the student has moved on to the bagpipes to learn new tunes. It is also useful for practice when playing on a full set of pipes is impractical.

Some people aren't familiar with the differences between the bagpipe chanter and the practice chanter. The Practice chanter has a narrower cylindrical bore and comes with a plastic reed. It has a quieter sound than a bagpipe chanter. It requires less air and lower pressure to allow for longer practice sessions. It is also pitched one octave lower than a bagpipe chanter. The Bagpipe chanter, or Pipe chanter, has a large tapered bore and a cane (wood) reed. It produces a louder sound and requires a large volume or air and substantial pressure. It is not suitable for practice on its own.

The practice chanter consists of three parts- the practice chanter body, a reed, and the practice chanter top/mouthpiece. The Body looks like a bagpipe chanter with general size and finger hole location, but a narrow bore which lowers the pitch and volume. The reed is usually made of plastic and ensures a stable pitch despite wet blowing. The top/mouthpiece is a tube and air chamber that surrounds and protects the reed and allows the player to blow into the instrument. It is long enough to place the practice chanter and your hands in a comfortable position.

There are 3 different sizes of practice chanters available- Child, Regular, and Long. The size of the practice chanter will depend on the age and size of the student. Young children with small hands will not be able to reach the required finger spacing on a full sized practice chanter, but can still learn the basic fingering on a smaller chanter. The Child's practice chanter's holes are closer together and the overall length is shorter. A Regular practice chanter is most commonly used by youth pipers or pipers with smaller hands. The holes are very similar to that of a bagpipe chanter. Once your hands are big enough, you should practice with a Long chanter. It has the same finger spacing as a pipe chanter making the transition to pipes easier.

Practice chanters can be made of plastic, wood or a combination of both. Wood offers high quality sound, however they can be prone to cracking due to moisture. Quality plastic practice chanters are durable with good tone. A combination plastic mouthpiece top and wooden chanter body can sometimes be the best of both worlds.

Some practice chanters offer counter sunk finger holes, making it easier to feel where the holes are. The holes also feel larger which is similar to the finger holes on a bagpipe chanter. Some manufacturer's chanters are quieter than others. Some makers offer water traps.

Tutor Books

Your instructor will likely have a tutor book they prefer to teach from. If you are trying to teach yourself, there are many good options. The College of Piping Centre Volume 1 Book, or "Green Book" as it if often referred, comes with a CDROM. It is a good tutor book to start with as it begins with the very basics, assuming no prior knowledge or musical experience by the student. This allows the student to start in on it alone. It is structured so that the student piper can learn one lesson a week, making a complete course of just over six months. It explains all of the required first movements and when used in conjunction with the audio and video files on the CDROM, gives the student maximum benefit.

The National Piping Centre Tutor Book also contains rudimentary information and is a very good resource for someone who wants to learn on their own. It includes a CDROM with step-by-step guide to supplement book as well as an appendix that talks about the bagpipe in comparison to other instruments for those individuals who have previous musical knowledge.

Bagpipe Solutions are 7 highly detailed volumes from world class piper John Cairns. The first 3 volumes cover the practice chanter and the following 4 are for the bagpipes. Each volume is accompanied by a CD. They contain in-depth material on all aspects of piping including theory, maintenance, tone, tuning, band and instrument drill, technical playing, reading music (time and rhythm), the wearing of highland dress, music instructional training, bagpipe history and ear training.

Instructor

It is strongly recommended that you get an instructor as the Bagpipes are a complicated wind instrument. Bad posture, poor fingering techniques, and poor tuning can be easily corrected with an instructor but difficult to learn after poor habits set in.

When finding an instructor, consider what your goals are and find an instructor to match them whether it is for competition, fun, or piobaireachd (pronounced "pee brock", which is the "classical music" of the bagpipes). Depending on what your goals are, your instructor's methods may or may not be a good fit. Inquire what grade level your potential instructor is (or was) and if he/she has ever competed. You should ask how long he/she has been piping and teaching, how many students he/she currently has, if he/she can provide you a list of references of his/her students for you to contact, and the cost.

There are also some instructors that offer courses and top quality training online. Ken Eller of Captain's Corner, for example, offers online instruction using a chat room type setting with video conferencing. This may be an option if there is no instructor within driving distance.

To find an instructor, there are many options. Check with local pipe bands. Some offer free instruction. Bagpipe Associations may have a list of instructors in your area. Highland Games or Scottish festivals are a great place to find piping contacts. Musical instrument retailers often have a good knowledge of the local music scene and although not all sell pipes or piping supplies, they should be able to refer you to someone. Piping suppliers will likely know instructors or bands that they can refer you to. Scottish or Celtic Goods stores will often know pipers in the area as well. When all else fails, search online. Bagpipe forums are great resources. You can also just search for key terms like "piping instructor" or "bagpipe teacher" and see if anything comes up in your area.

Hyndia: The Indonesian Boys' Band

Hyndia is a 6 member Indonesian boys' band at the beginning of a musical career, with members dressing like Justin Bieber and addressing a teenager audience. You must have a warm smile for these boys, when you watch them, because two of them seem exceptionally young.

Hyndia does covers. They play Coldplay and the Cure and local hits within the same concert. So, they have a long way to go before finding their own voice. But they clearly show courage on stage. You will find several videos of their live performances on YouTube, and each video has a couple hundred likes. These are amateur videos. You cannot get a right impression of their music, but the boys certainly act like dedicated entertainers and the not so broad audience is truly enthusiastic.

If nothing seems exceptional about these boys so far, think of their location: Indonesia. This explains for their eclectic tastes. One has to think of Indonesia in terms of musical geography, first: it is equally distanced from two very interesting musical nations: India and Australia. Bordering Singapore perpetuates the Japanese fascination with Karaoke.

Both Indian and Australian musical industries have developed unique and much appreciated musical styles that are heavily based on eclectic sources. Yet, the best model these boys could emulate for success is that of Indian and Pakistani musicians. These perform in countries where much of the potential audience is Muslim, and Indonesia is the largest Muslim community in the world.

India and related Pakistan are undoubtedly great homes of world music. Enthusiastic and appreciated Elvis imitators, Led Zeppelin continuators and Indie bands mixing Western sounds from all times with fragments of Indian classical or Sufi music are not at all unusual there. Very elaborate cross-culture East-West TV projects like "The Dewarists" (India/ USA) or "Pakistani Coke Studio" (MTV) now promote artists coming from that area who show no interest for boundaries of geography, nationality religion, time or musical style, to global success.

Nevertheless, most of these artists already have steady audiences at home. They are active researchers, forging their own, unique musical styles, where they incorporate every rhythm and melody they ever met and liked. Moreover, besides individual talent, which is obvious, they share an extra piece of luck: a home with a very strong musical industry. Young bands like Hyndia from Indonesia will have to work many times harder, if they are to make their unique voice known to the world someday.

The Story Behind the Dylan Song "Like A Rolling Stone"

I just shot a video for Bob Dylan's song, Like a Rolling Stone. I normally don't perform cover songs, but I want to start reaching out to a new audience and start connecting with people on YouTube or whoever will hear me. So I'm hoping that I meet some new people online through this video and I thought why not give a history of the song so people can understand more about it. I did some research on this amazing song and here is what I found.

Coming back home from his tour in England in '65, Dylan didn't like what the public expected of him. He also didn't like where his career was headed. He had a strong desire to quit the music business altogether. In 1966, Dylan talked about his issue with this troubling perception that people had of him.

"Last spring, I guess I was going to quit singing. I was very drained and the way things were going, it was a very draggy situation... But 'Like a Rolling Stone' changed it all. I mean it was something that I myself could dig. It's very tiring having other people tell you how much they dig you if you yourself don't dig you."

The premise of the song started from a piece that Dylan wrote. He described the beginnings of this song as the following:

"It was ten pages long. It wasn't called anything, just a rhythm thing on paper all about my steady hatred directed at some point that was honest. In the end it wasn't hatred, it was telling someone something they didn't know, telling them they were lucky. Revenge, that's a better word. I had never thought of it as a song, until one day I was at the piano, and on the paper it was singing, 'How does it feel?' in a slow motion pace, in the utmost of slow motion."

So when Columbia Records first heard Like a Rolling Stone, they were unhappy with the song. What a big surprise! lol. They didn't like the length of the song, which is over six minutes, and they also didn't like the heavy electric sound. They didn't want to release the song at first, but somehow a copy of the song was leaked out and many influential DJ's started playing the song. Many of the stations were hesitant to play a track that long, but it was able to reach the #2 in the US charts and become a hit worldwide.

Dylan referred to this song as a "breakthrough" in his career and he explains that it changed how he saw where his career was going. He describes it as writing a "long piece of vomit, 20 pages long, and out of it I took "Like a Rolling Stone' and made it as a single. And I'd never written anything like that before and it suddenly came to me that was what I should do... After writing that I wasn't interested in writing a novel, or a play. I just had too much, I want to write songs."

When I read the story of how this song started as a 10 page verse of ramblings that Dylan didn't even like that was very inspirational to me. When I first started writing I didn't have that strumming and singing coordination on the guitar. It's when you can the strum the chords on guitar, but when you start singing it all goes to crap. So I used to write. Sometimes they would rhyme and other times they wouldn't. It was just a healthy way to unload my thoughts on to paper. It's the ultimate truth that you reveal about yourself. You find things about yourself that you might not have known before or sometimes you say things that you normally wouldn't say. Its a great release and you don't need to be musically inclined to do it. You just have to have something to say.

People call this song revolutionary because of the different musical elements and the cynical sound in Dylan's voice. I personally just like this song. No need to dive into the specifics. For instance, I love art. Whenever I see a beautiful piece of art I say to myself "I like that. I don't know why, but I just do". This song is a song that just hit a chord with me and I'm glad that I got a chance to cover

Toto: Tambu and the Unbeatable Band of All-Stars

Chances are, even if you think you've never heard Toto, you've probably heard them in part. Made up of some of the hottest LA studio musicians, this 80's prog-pop unit first hit big with staples like 'Rosanna', 'Africa' and 'Hold the Line'... all while playing on--literally--thousands of other albums via the band's individual members. The band still makes a huge splash in Europe and Scandinavia, entertaining thousands nearly every year with their unbeatable blend of pop, rock and jazz. While a powerhouse in the US from about 1978 to 1989, the band continues to craft incredible work all while taking a back-seat to mostly inferior pop pablum via satellite radio and video (and somehow staying off the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame radar).

Anyway, if you haven't been keeping up with Toto fo the past few decades, it's safe to say you've missed out on a body of truly remarkable music crafted by some of the most arresting players the industry has to offer.

Besides being the hottest studio guns, these guys managed to overcome the tragic passing of uber-drummer, Jeff Porcaro. In the wake of such a loss came a very underrated album, full of typically brilliant musicianship and compositional color: 'Tambu'.

Certainly, Toto has been a star pupil of the Harlequin Romance School for Dopey Lyricism in the past. The faux 'bodice ripper' cover may be a self-parodying nod to this fact. The messages here, though, are slightly less focused on the 'groove with me, mama' tripe, and more serve the musical moods that Steve Lukather (monster guitars/vocals) and David Paich (keyboards) coax from their instruments. Toto's deft meld of pop, jazz and whatever else happens to make to tape is simply without peer in modern music.

Ask Don Henley, Michael McDonald, Donald Fagan, David Sanborn, Yes' Jon Anderson or anyone else who has either guested on a Toto project or sought their aid on one of their own, and they'll probably tell you: Toto ain't just a little dog yapping at the hells of modern rock.

So... let's review: If your current music collection has no Toto in it, whatever you are doing, hurl yourself onto the Internet and make a quick purchase. 'Tambu' is a stellar album often overlooked even by fans of the band who came to know them through earlier hits, so add that to your list of downloads and check out one of the most adept units in all of popular music.

DJ Spinderella: Technology Is A Great Tool But Don't Let That Be Your Foundation

Growing up as kid in the early 1990's when Hip-Hop was still in its infant stage, there was one female act that reigned supreme: Salt N Pepa. The group which included three of the sexiest women on the planet provided some of my fondest childhood memories.I mean who could deny their hits and it was always something special about the lady behind the turntables: DJ Spinderella. I remember me and my friends would argue about who was the sexiest member of the group, and someone would always say "Salt N Pepa are cool, but Spinderella is the baddest."Earlier this week I had a chance to interview the legendary DJ Spinderella and we discussed everything from music tech, the art form of Djing and her role in the fight against Diabetes.1. How have the advancements in the technology affected the DJ culture?It's made it a lot easier and simplified it. It's a lot less work in comparison to the days when we use to carry around crates of records and tempo count ourselves. It's automatic now.2. How do you think that simplification has affected the creativity of the art form?You still can utilize creativity, but of course in some ways it has created a numbing effect. You don't have to exercise the parts of the brain that you use to have to. But, there are some Dj's that make great use of the technology and become creative.3. Do you still devote time to listening to new music?Oh Yeah! That's the fun part. The old school way of doing it was: you would buy the record, read the credits and play the records. I'm what you would call a "Turntablist," so I would spend a lot of time going to the record store and searching for music.Nowadays, you can purchase music online, but you don't get the same elements or feelings that we use to. It was so much fun back then, just a classic feeling.4. How do you find most of the new music you listen to right now?I'll purchase music online. Also, I love going to antique shops that have old records. One man's trash is another man's treasure. I find that very rewarding. Plus, you can hit every avenue by incorporating the new school way of doing things with the old school way.5. Did it take time for you to gain respect from your male DJ counterparts?Of course it did, lol. It was hard to get respect, because most people looked at is as a novelty of a female doing a man's job. I had to prove that wrong, and it wasn't easy because when you saw me with Salt N Pepa back in the days I was learning something new.I was learning something new and I was basically learning it in front of the audience. So, It took a while for it to become comfortable to me. People would always say "I want to battle you" or "She's cute but she can't DJ." (Laughs)6. Is Twitter good or bad for Hip-Hop?Twitter is an Excellent tool! We didn't have Twitter, Facebook or any form of social media back then. It was basically word of mouth, tv and radio.Twitter is just another avenue to promote, stay updated on whats going on, and now you don't have to wait hours for the news to deliver things in the wrong way. It's an excellent tool, it just depends on how people utilize it.7. After so many years in the game, what gets you excited?Umm, I'm probably more passionate about the art form of Djing than ever. Well probably not ever because you can't really match that feeling of what was happening when Hip-Hop first started.However, I have created this world for myself where I appreciate things more despite all of life's obstacles because it's a gift to be able to still exhibit my talent and inspire people.What inspires me most is to see younger dj's with a real appreciation of the art form and I love to see the way it has expanded to a global art form. I just love to see the newer DJ's studying the history, reaching back and still using turntables.8. Why did your radio show "The Backspin" end?It's never ended it's just been in a hiatus for a while. To be honest, I'm getting a lot of request for it to come back and I have been seriously thinking about it. I have another partner, Mo Dave, who helped me to produce it. It was a lot of reasons why it slow down. You know, radio was going through some changes and so when the market began to weaken it took more work for me to put a show together.I started working from online and when I moved from LA things kinda changed. We have an archive and inventory of shows for ten years so when the time is right we will put it out. That was like a cornerstone or era in time that people will want to capture. So when the time is right I will probably reproduce them and put them out again.9. What is your favorite Salt N Pepa song?God, Lol. I have a few. I love the first album, even though I wasn't a part of the group then. I love the second album as well. So, I would say a lot of my favorite songs are on those two. Classic records like "I'll Take Your Man," "My Mic Sounds Nice," and one of my favorites is "I Desire."If you move along and as we grew up we started to clean the song up and make it more acoustically pleasing and we had songs like "Whatta A Man," and "Shoop." The last album which never took off like we wanted it to was called "Brand New" - that was a great album as well. It's really hard to name just one.11. Since become a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association has your health/lifestyle changed?It's been almost year since I committed myself to the cause and helping to raise money and awareness to the cause. For me it's just paying attention to my health and what I eat. When we get older we don't have it like we use to. (Laughs) So we definitely want to create that lifestyle that gives us the health and the energy that allows you to be alert and increases your life span. I'm juicing more, working out more, but I'm totally not perfect.My role is to help provide awareness and bridge the gap between those who know about the ADA and those that don't know. A lot of people don't realize that there is information and help that is life saving.12. What advice would you give to a young Dj?